Your words and your mobile readers

Words do not exist in a vacuum.

The way you read a book, newspaper or magazine, or blog post is different. From holding a hardcover book in your hand to flipping through the pages of a magazine to scrolling an article on your phone, you will have different experiences in every setting because how you’re reading is different.

This distinction is important to keep in mind when it comes to web writing.

What works well for readers in one medium does not necessarily work well for another. In other words, your font, layout, and design play an important role in how well your words can be read.

To help you along your way, here are five ways your website may be driving away mobile readers. Avoid these landmines at all costs.

1. Your font size is illegible

The size of your font matters.

A small font translates into an eye-straining experience for your readers.

Create a great reading experience for your readers by using a reader-friendly font size.

These websites make it easy for people to read. They help readers to focus on reading by reducing distractions.

These websites make it easy for people to read. They help readers to focus on reading by reducing distractions.

Again, in principal, you want to mimic the reading experience of a book for your mobile readers.

4. Your website is cluttered

Busy pages create a terrible reading experience on a phone.

Think about it this way: What if you were reading a book on your phone and the page you were reading was littered with opt-in forms or advertisements? Would it be hard to focus on what you were reading? I’d think so.

The same holds true for your website. A cluttered website is a huge turnoff for readers.

What looks great on your laptop, desktop, and even tablet may not work well on a mobile phone.

Check out this screen shot from my phone to see how they arrange their material:

They have a smooth single-column layout.

Their menu in the top left-handed corner creates easy navigation for their readers.

Now, if you click on the radio icon in the top right-hand corner, then their website will drop down the option to listen to their radio program.

NPR creates a great user experience for their readers and listeners by optimizing white space, providing quick access to their radio program, and easy navigation.

5. Your website is not responsive

Does your website look the same on a desktop, tablet, and phone?

This is not a good thing if it does.

Your website needs to be able to look good on any device. It needs to be able to adapt to whatever a user is using to read your content. This is called responsive web design.

Instead of building two websites (e.g., www.thecopybot.com or m.thecopybot.com) or creating an app only for mobile users, it’s best for you and your readers to use a responsive design. This way your website will automatically adjust its display to fit the screen your reader is using.

This will create a fluid experience for your visitors and keep them coming back for more.

Your Turn

Does your website read like a book on a phone?

Can people easily read what you’re writing?

Is your website littered with distractions?

Do you have to pinch your screen with your fingers to zoom in and out?